The Panj Pyare lead a procession in India
Panj Piare (literally means the "five beloved ones") and is the name given to the five Sikhs, Bhai Daya Singh, Bhai Dharam Singh, Bhai Himmat Singh, Bhai Mukham Singh and Bhai Sahib Singh, who were so designated by Guru Gobind Singh at the historic divan at Anandpur Sahib on 30 March 1699 (now celebrated on April 14).
They formed the nucleus of the Khalsa as the first batch to receive at the Guru's hands khanda di Pahul, i.e. rites of the two-edged sword. Today, the term is used to refer to the five who perform this same rites of baptism for the Khalsa panth.
In Sikh theology, as in the Indian classical tradition generally, panj or panch, the numeral five, has a special significance. Guru Nanak in Japji refers to five khands, i.e. stages or steps in spiritual development, and calls a spiritually awakened person a panch. The ancient Indian socio-political institution "panchayat" meant a council of five elders. Something like an inner council of five existed even in the time of the earlier Gurus: five Sikhs accompanied Guru Arjan on his last journey to Lahore; the five were each given 100 armed Sikhs to command by his successor, Guru Hargobind; Guru Tegh Bahadur, set out on his journey to Delhi to court execution attended by five Sikhs. .....More
On January 5 this year the world celebrates the birth in Patna, India of the tenth and last of the Ten Gurus in human form of Sikhism.
Gobind Rai was born on January 5, 1666 and became Guru on November 11, 1675 at the age of nine, following in the footsteps of his father Guru Teg Bahadur.
The Guru moulded the Sikh religion into its present form with the formation of the Khalsa in 1699.
The tenth Guru (teacher) of the Sikh faith, was born Gobind Rai. It may not be out of the way to say here that throughout the annals of human history, there was no other individual who could be of more inspiring personality than Guru Gobind Singh.
Guru ji infused the spirit of both sainthood and solider in the minds and hearts of his followers to fight oppression and support righteousness (Dharma) in order to restore justice, peace and to uplift the down-trodden people in this world. In the short 42 year of life and a Guruship of only 33 years, the Guru contributed immensely to Sikhism and to the world and his gift to all the peoples of the world still remains unmatched to this day. .....More
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ਧਨਾਸਰੀ ਮਹਲਾ 5 ॥
ਪਰ ਹਰਨਾ ਲੋਭ ਝੂਠ ਨਿੰਦ ਇਵ ਹੀ ਕਰਤ ਗਦਾਰੀ ॥ ਮਰਿਗ ਤਰਿਸਨਾ ਆਸ ਮਿਥਿਆ ਮੀਠੀ ਇਹ ਟੇਕ ਮਨਹਿ ਸਾਧਾਰੀ ॥1॥
ਸਾਕਤ ਕੀ ਆਵਰਦਾ ਜਾਇ ਬਰਿਥਾਰੀ ॥ ਜੈਸੇ ਕਾਗਦ ਕੇ ਭਾਰ ਮੂਸਾ ਟੂਕਿ ਗਵਾਵਤ ਕਾਮਿ ਨਹੀ ਗਾਵਾਰੀ ॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਕਰਿ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਪਾਰਬਰਹਮ ਸਆਮੀ ਇਹ ਬੰਧਨ ਛਟਕਾਰੀ ॥ ਬੂਡਤ ਅੰਧ ਨਾਨਕ ਪਰਭ ਕਾਢਤ ਸਾਧ ਜਨਾ ਸੰਗਾਰੀ ॥2॥11॥42॥ ...More
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Sikh Taxi driver's story on 9 News
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Watch this video (1.60 mins) on YouTube of the a Sikh cabbie in Australia who has set an example of honesty after he returned 110,000 Australian dollars to passengers who had left the bundle of cash in his taxi. The incident happened in Melbourne recently (October 2013) when the cab driver Lakhwinder Singh Dhillon was doing his routine job of picking and dropping passenger .....Watch, listen, read & ponder...
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News Items 60 to 78
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Sikhs in Norway: Punjabis foray into Norway politics
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She covers her head with a ‘dupatta’ and uses several Punjabi phrases despite leaving Jalandhar for Europe 32 years back. For 53-year old Balwinder Kaur, an ethnic Indian Member of the Oslo Commune (municipality), the work has just begun and there is a lot to do for “my community and Norway”, as she puts it. ....
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Larch Clover Community Center is never as popular as it is in early November, when Sandhu Bros. Farm gives away $65,000 worth of new winter coats, socks, gloves and cool-weather outfits. A line formed outside the north Tracy center’s door at about 8:30 a.m. Saturday as the morning chill.......
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The flowers are raining outside the mosque in Bhopal. The beauty of this picture lies in the fact that Sikh boys are welcoming with flowers the Muslims coming out of Eidgah. For decades, as a gesture of goodwill, the Sikh community has welcomed their Muslims brothers in this manner at the such holy occasions......
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Sikh air passengers will no longer have to remove their turbans at US screening checkpoints if doing so makes them uncomfortable under new guidelines coming into force on October 27. The new Transportation Security Administration (TSA) guidelines announced on Tuesday give airport screeners .......
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Sikhs have matured in the last five hundred years of their history to the extent that though they received repeated jolts and challenges of hostile cultures, they overcame them all.....
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Cattle-rearing generates more global warming greenhouse gases, as measured in CO2 equivalent, than transportation, and smarter production methods, including improved animal diets to reduce enteric fermentation and consequent methane emissions, are urgently needed, according to a new United Nations report released today.........
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Thirty-two nominations have been received for the inaugural Guru Nanak Inter-faith Prize carrying a cash component of 50,000 dollars to be awarded to an individual or for a collective effort in promoting religious dialogue and peaceful coexistence. The prize introduced by the Hofstra University, New York, is named after the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak. One of the nominations received is that of spiritual leader Dalai Lama. Last date for filing nomination was July 1........
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UNESCO has conferred its "Asia-Pacific Heritage Award" to a Sikh shrine in Gujarat's border district of Kutch. The government of Gujarat undertook the conservation and reconstruction of the 200-year-old gurdwara at Lakhpat in Kutch district after it was damaged during the 2001 earthquake. "Impressed by the efforts, UNESCO has conferred the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award to the Lakhpat gurdwara and thereby appreciated the state government," an official release said.......
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His long white beard fluttering in the breeze, his turban streaked with grime, Ajit Singh walks into the machine room of Ducklangia tea estate in Assam. Everyone has been waiting for the fitter expectantly. At once he gets down to work and, in a jiffy, points out the problem. As Nirod Singh, the manager of Ducklangia tea estate, says: “Ajit Singh was supposed to have retired eight years ago. But we requested the marvellous mechanic to continue — he is simply indispensable."......
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Q: Congratulations on being selected the youth of the month, please tell us a little bit about yourself..
R: I am very fond of anything spiritual, artistic and thought provoking. I enjoy immersing myself in painting, song-writing; singing and classical guitar, creative writing, poetry... spiritual concepts such as Naam, Amrit, IK, Shabad, and Merging fascinate me, and the occasional mind-blowing spiritual conversations are very dear to me. I love learning and I'm never done learning...... Other Youths of the month
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An important meeting took place recently in Lahore to finalise the structure and faculties for a proposed University being set up by the Government of Pakistan in honour of Guru Nanak. On 15th and 16th June 2007, many prominent leaders from around the world attended this gathering. Present were important Sikh representatives from different corners of the globe and included Sardar Avtar Singh Makkar , president of SGPC, Sardar PS Sarna the president of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee.....
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Celibacy & Gurmat
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In a recent case in Canada, sevadaars were arrested and charged with sexual misconduct. A news article quoted a member of the Nanaksar Gurdwara saying, "Priests at the temple are expected to be celibate....". This leads to the question, since when has celibacy been a Rehit or compulsion in Sikhi...
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Gurmat Overrules Malpractice in Leeds Gurdwara
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In a great triumph, with the grace of Satguru Ji, Gurdwara ‘Sikh Temple Chapeltown’, Leeds will no longer allow parties, alcohol, and meat on any of its premises, and as a result the anti-gurmat activity ... has now come to an end....
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Parties playing politics with ‘Siropa’
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Peeved over the misuse of the practice of presenting ‘siropa’ (religious robe of honour) by leaders of almost all political parties of the state, office-bearers of local Sikh organisations have urged the chiefs of the SGPC and Akal Takht to impose restrictions....
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Scottish American Mercenary of Ranjit Singhs Army
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Alexander Gardner, (or GARDINER) Scottish-American mercenary, commanding Ranjit Singh's powerful and well-trained artillery forces, in a uniform of his own design, including tartan turban. Gardiner played a fascinating....
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News Items 50 to 59
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Sikhs Receive Ontario Premier at Golden Temple
Mr Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario, one of the largest provinces of Canada along with his wife Terry and other members of the Canadian delegation paid obeisance at the Golden Temple here today....
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Sikhs Aim For A Dynamic Sikh Business Community
The newly established Network of International Sikh Entrepreneurs (NISE) hopes to build a more dynamic, global and enterprising Sikh business community in Malaysia. Chairman Mohan Singh Sidhu said the timing was right for such a grouping to be formed .....
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UK Government Ignoring Sikhs ?
Sikh campaigners say the PM's rhetoric on 'community cohesion' and ‘integration’ is lop-sided, discriminatory and unfair. They say British Sikhs are being excluded from the government dialogue on ‘integration talks’ despite the Sikh community’s massive enrichment and contribution to British life ....
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When Nankana Sahib bus carried no passengers
State Department officials point out that the Lahore bus service is quite popular among NRIs and foreign tourists, who are taking full advantage of their Punjab visit. The bus carries 15 or 16 passengers every week...
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World War I & its impact on Sikhs
By helping the British colonialists in suppressing the Revolt of 1857, the Punjab Sikh chiefs and soldiers had saved the empire. The Sikh soldiers were taken in the army first in 1846....
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By The Book
Prof. Manjit Singh, Director of Chaplaincy Services and university lecturer in Sikhism at McGill University in Montreal, spoke on the Sikh Scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, its history and....
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He captured the soul of rural Punjab
HE immortalised Mitthewal, an obscure Malwai village of the Malerkotla state of yore in Mera Pind, a book that enjoys the status of a classic today, and the book, in turn, immortalises its writer Giani Gurdit Singh...
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'Exploiting in the name of Panth'
Former Jathedar Prof Darshan Singh claimed, he was not supporting anyone nor opposing anyone. "But I want to caution people that the Sikh Panth was at the crossroad and those who had exploited....
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News Items 40 to 49
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Community Betrayed (Part IV - Last)
Justice Nanavati recommended that all the seven cases against Sajjan Kumar, including FIR No 307/94, be reinvestigated. While the government found no justification to reopen the case, but the investigations revealed that witness Anek Kaur was...
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The Spiritual Strength of Woman
A woman carries the responsibility of the physical, mental and spiritual well being of her family. This is a serious job that can reap great rewards....
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World War I & its impact on Sikhs
By helping the British colonialists in suppressing the Revolt of 1857, the Punjab Sikh chiefs and soldiers had saved the empire. The Sikh soldiers were taken in the army first in 1846. During 1853-54 they crushed the Santhal rebellion in the Ganga valley....
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Jolt for Badal as Delhi votes Sarna way
The Shiromani Akali Dal (Delhi) led by Mr Paramjit Singh Sarna today retained the DSGMC despite Parkash Singh Badal addressing rallies and SGPC president Jathedar Avtar Singh Makkar personally supervising the party's poll strategy...
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Time to teach netas some green lessons
Are politicians concerned about environmental changes around them or have they made environment and ecology election issues, the answer is a big no....
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Giani Gurdit Singh passes away
Eminent Punjabi writer Giani Gurdit Singh, known particularly for his book "Mera Pind" that has sustained readership over the past four decades, passed away....
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Wedding Re-arranged to Gurdwara Sahib
Over the past three years the Sikh Community has united in peace to stop the abuse of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. To date over 170 Anand Karaj’s have been re-arranged from hotels, etc, to Gurdwaras. And now, a wedding due to take place on 28th January has already been re-arranged to a Gurdwara....
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Come My Beloved
Even a moment spent in the ecstasy of awareness makes the whole of life worth living. As if one lives in a single moment of this burning quest, life becomes bearable....
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Giani Gian Singh : Poet, Historian
His true calling in life began when he resigned his position as a granted in Patiala and set out on an extensive peregrination across India visiting places of pilgrimage, especially those commemorating events in Sikh history....
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Badal loses bid to wrest control of DSGMC
Shiromani Akali Dal led by Prakash Singh Badal today failed to wrest control of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee as his rivals retained majority in the religious body ahead of Punjab Assembly elections next month...
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News Items 30 to 39
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A Monument of Injustice
This film depicts the true historical facts how under a deep conspiracy the young Maharaja was dethroned.., how he was separated from his mother..
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Relevance of Sri Guru Granth Sahib for Today
Sri Guru Granth Sahib, was compiled by the fifth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Arjun, as Adi Granth in 1604. Four centuries have tested the authenticity of the Holy Book and it has come out successful, being recognized by more and more people all over the world as a...
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Dr. Tejindepal Singh Involved in Accident
Tragedy struck the Toronto Sikh community when Dr. Tejinderpal Singh 'Dulla', a renowned nishkam Kirtanee, and his wife Bibi Jasbir Kaur became involved in a fatal vehicle accident on Wednesday near Owen Sound in Southern Ontario.....
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International Human Rights Campaign Gathers Pace
An international human rights postcard campaign to free three innocent Sikhs held in a Punjab jail, being spearheaded by the Sikh Federation (UK), Sikh Secretariat, Young Sikhs (UK) and Khalsa Human Rights, is gaining increasing political and human rights support from across the globe....
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The history of buildings at Hazur Sahib Nanded
In 1831, Lord Bentinck met Maharaja Ranjit Singh to inform him of the poor condition of the Takhat (Throne) Hazoor Sahib. This greatly disturbed the Maharaja who then made a supplication (an ardaas) to God to have the opportunity to....
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In Memory of Chali Mukte
You and your companions, all forty of you are muktas - the Saved Ones. The battlefield shall be called Muktsar or the Pool of Salvation. You are delivered from the chain of births and deaths forever. You have attained mukti, freedom from birth and death.....
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Art, Faith and History
It is a potent nexus, even explosive at times, as history tells us. Just think of the riots that occurred all over Europe and in parts of the Muslim world in 2005, triggered by the...
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News Items 20 to 29
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House of Waris
He is 32 years old with long slender fingers, neatly tied dastaar, short bushy open beard and a New York hipness. He became a celebrity in the Sikh community after his last role in the Hollywood flick, 'Inside Man' by Spike Lee....
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Innovators take aim at clogged hearts
High-tech companies often begin in a garage. That's where Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard made the first Hewlett-Packard electronics in 1938 in San Jose. It's where Steve Jobs and Stephen Wozniak created the first Apple computer in 1976 in Cupertino. But Advanced Cardiovascular Devices got its start on the beach...
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I see no Stranger - Early Sikh Art and Devotion
Sikhism is a way of life, a journey that begins without but takes you within. It is an endeavour to connect with the Formless, the Enduring, the Divine, through the Guru's grace. The journey is the destination....
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An inspiration to followers
Guru Gobind Singh announced that the five volunteers had taken amrit (a ritual initiation) into the Khalsa (Order of the Pure). Then, the Guru knelt before the five Khalsa members and asked them to initiate him....
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News Items 10 to 19
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100 Year Old Saroop of Maharaj Missing?
Over a hundred-year-old handwritten bir of Guru Granth Sahib, which was installed on the first floor of Golden Temple many years ago, has been replaced with a printed saroop....
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Sikh girl fixes a head scarf on another Girl- What is Religion?. See www.millsaps.edu
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Hazrat Mian Mir was a famous Muslim Sufi saint who lived in Lahore. He was born at Sevastan (Sindh) in 1531 AD.
Due to the high esteem and great respect for the Sufi saint, the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjun Dev asked Mian Mir to lay down the foundation stone of Harmandir Sahib, the main Sikh shrine in the world.
The ceremony duly took place on 3rd January 1588 AD, when Sai ji laid down the foundation stone at Amritsar over 420 years ago. Thus began the history of the most famous Sikh shrine and the occasion crystallised the very important message of true interfaith respect and close dialogue among the different peoples of faith in the world.
Guru Arjan Dev was responsible for the construction of many tanks and buildings in Punjab. In 1588, he planned to build an impressive temple in the centre of the holy tank called Amritsar or the pool of nectar. As the temple was to be thrown open to people of all castes, creeds and climes, he invited Mian Mir who was a close friend of the Guru to lay the foundation stone of this shrine. .....More
Treat women as equal:- Our Guru lays down the rules very clearly on this point - woman is no less than a man and must be treated as an equal in all aspect of life thus "From woman, man is born; within woman, man is conceived; to woman he is engaged and married. Woman becomes his friend; through woman, the future generations come. When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; to woman he is bound. So why call her bad? From her, kings are born. From woman, woman is born; without woman, there would be no one at all." (page 473)
Repeat God's name with every breath:- The Guru advices us to: "Chanting His Glories, your filth shall be washed off. The all-consuming poison of ego will be gone. You shall become carefree, and you shall dwell in peace. With every breath and every morsel of food, cherish the Lord's Name. .. So gather the Lord's Name as your capital, and trade in it. In this world you shall be at peace, and in the Court of the Lord, you shall be acclaimed. See the One permeating all;" (page 289)
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